I should specify that I do not race, nor do I ever plan to...but your comments are still very helpful and I am sure there are others in my boat who do race. Glad to hear the "extra" pedalling doesn't seem to hurt much- my DH is a stronger biker than me so we are always trying to find ways to eqalize us for rides together, and I am concerned the 650s would be one more notch against me. Out of curiosity, how tall are those of you on 650cc?